Blackmoon Prophecy II
(non-canonic/original) |release date= December 25th, 2017 |download link=Build 1/Demo 3 v1.04 }} Blackmoon Prophecy, formerly known as Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II, is a direct sequel to Blackmoon Prophecy developed by Daniel Babineau that was started in November 2013 and released as a full game on December 25, 2017. Gameplay Blackmoon Prophecy II, as a direct sequel to the previous game, largely retains the same gameplay features and mechanics as the first game (though with some significant changes due to the switch to RPG Maker VX Ace). Playable characters have more rigid roles, with each character only being able to equip single weapon types. Limit breaks, which work similarly to how they functioned in Final Fantasy VII, also help to differentiate the characters with their own unique limits. Unlike in the first game, the player is no longer forced to keep a specific character as their party leader. Similarly to Final Fantasy VI, the narrative of the game is mostly focused on one character (in this game's case, it is Zephyr Highwind) while the player is able to appoint whomever they wish as their party leader. While the player can mix and match any characters to form whichever party they wish, major plot points will still be viewed through Zephyr's perspective. This, in a way, mirrors how the events of Final Fantasy XII are depicted from Vaan's perspective despite his presence not being mandatory in the player's party. Freedom to explore and fast travel are each featured more prominently in Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II. As soon as the player begins their quest, they are able to ride anywhere they wish on the world map without fear of running into random battles by riding the white chocobo Winter, or by equipping a Moogle Charm to avoid random battles entirely in dungeons. Moogles also appear in many dungeons after their completion, allowing the player to quickly fast travel to and from set locations within the dungeons. Equippable accessories play a larger role in the sequel, as relics come equipped with far more uses than in the previous game, and materia (equippable items that grant the use of abilities and stat bonuses) allows players to develop their party members in many diverse ways. Setting *'Berona Republic'. The cold lands that were once known as Western Branch. Several decades ago, rebels rose up to break away from the fledgling Branch-Ivalice Empire. After successfully doing so, the former Branch lands became known as the Berona Republic, named after Carwen Berona who led the rebellion. After several further decades, tensions subsided between Berona and Ivalice and the two now trade openly despite Berona still trying, sometimes violently, to bring the independent kingdom of Darnecles into the Republic. The only remnant of the former Branch Kingdom remaining is the Beronian town of Branch, formerly East Branch many years ago. *'Ivalice Empire'. Comprised of the original Ivalice Empire and a smattering of lands that once belonged to the Branch Kingdom, Ivalice is the world's second most powerful kingdom after Lindblum. It is currently led by Emperor Alduin Vainstrong, grandson of the great Vahn Vainstrong. Ivalice's military is predominantly made up of dragoons and have adopted Bahamut, King of Dragons, as their figurehead. *'Lenadia Kingdom'. A kingdom that was ravaged one hundred years ago by a great cataclysm, Lenadia is the weakest of the kingdoms despite having the most land. Most of Lenadia is poverty-striken countryside as the kingdom simply does not have the resources or wealth any longer to sustain its large population. *'Lindblum Kingdom'. The kingdom where the adventure begins is the home to the specialized fighting force known as the Augurers. Lindblum, despite losing its capital and seat of power one hundred years prior, has emerged as the most influential kingdom in the world. Governed by Regent Handel, Lindblum was also the most peaceful land until the Esper hostilities began. Characters The cast of the game is largely new, as the game is set one hundred years after the first installment. The roster for Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II is comprised of twelve story characters, two optional characters, three secret characters, and two guest characters. Playable Characters The following characters join the party automatically throughout the story and become permanent additions to the party. *'Zephyr Highwind'. The main character. Zephyr is a young Augurer from the Lindblum town of Neirbrook who looks after Winter, a white chocobo belonging to his sister. Zephyr's father was an Ivalician dragoon. He is very carefree and loves to have fun and go on adventures. The safety of his friends is paramount to him. He is a fledgling swordsman. *'Reiner Ardell'. A Lindblum Augurer from the town of Kaipo. Reiner is an experienced soldier as well, with duty and honor coming before all else. Reiner doesn't particularly care about forming connections with others, only socializing to break up awkward silences or to lecture others. He prioritizes his mission above all else. *'Hautley von Muir'. An eccentric old magician who serves a point of communication between Lindblum Castle and the Saradin Mage Tower. Hautley is an experienced user of black magic who was taught the craft many years ago by Oalston Saradin prior to his passing. *'Silas Hedgeley'. A young Mohadmalan who happened upon the armor of a fallen warrior at the base of Mount Houzell. Adorning the armor, Silas decided to make use of the armor by training as a swordsman. Silas is a stern young man, but has a heart of gold and frequently finds himself in disbelief over what he becomes wrapped up after meeting the Augurers. He is always looking to do good deeds, and is hopeful that one day he will be able to identify the mysterious old sword he found with the suit of armor. *'Jasmine Amiro'. An apparent young woman who has come to be known as The Timeless One. One hundred years prior, exposure to energies of the Genesis Obelisk on the moon rendered Jasmine as sub-immortal being, her body aging ten times slower than normal. As a woman who has seen much in her long life, Jasmine is often sought out for advice (which she tends to hate). She is a lifelong inhabitant of Ivalice. *'Sapphire Ling'. An orphan who grew up in the Village of Zen. She was found in a basket with a note saying that her name was Sapphire, but she also goes by her adopted name of Ling. She is a skilled user of ninjutsu who likes to look out for the poor. Sapphire has an exceptionally soft spot for fellow orphans. She is highly experienced in battle with the ninja sword. *'Edric Csardim'. A Lenadian knight well versed in the chivalrous code of his profession. Edric stands for justice above all else, which can lead to him coming across as being cold and distant at times. He is an exceptionally talented fighter, having served Lenadia for nearly twenty years. His chosen weapon is the spear. *'Bolt Redford'. An urchin who used to live in the streets of Berona City. Bolt earns his name for his swift nature and ability to pickpocket anything that moves. He has a very daring and frisky personality, and he feels that he can do anything that he sets his mind to. He dreams of becoming a superhero. *'Trigger Ramsay'. A master engineer hailing from the Berona Republic. Trigger's seen and done it all, often working with famous names such as Ivalice's experienced physicist Markim Alunira, or the Eidolon known as Godot. Trigger has a short fuse and doesn't tend to like people very much, but he's an exceptionally hard worker who always gets things done thanks to his headstrong and stubborn nature. He is an experienced sharpshooter, always carrying his pistols everywhere he goes. *'Izlude Raithwall'. A mysterious individual scouring the kingdom of Ivalice for information regarding the Esper rebellion against humanity. Izlude is a powerful warrior who wields axes and is capable of casting potent magic. He is extremely blunt and stoic, making the anti-social Reiner and grumpy Hautley appear warm and fuzzy in comparison. His singular mission and intentions remain shrouded in mystery. *'Vera Farabrandt'. The former Kindred, Light Warrior, and Queen of Ivalice. Vera ruled alongside her husband Vahn Vainstrong after the events of the first game from the new capital city of Alexandria, which Vera was responsible for populating with roses, her favourite flower. Vera is thought to have passed away many years ago. Optional Characters The following characters join the party temporarily, but can later be recruited as permanent members of the party. *'Carina Madeen'. A young white mage from the remote island town of Branch. Unlike the rest of her town, she does not worship the elusive "Graviton" deity. Carina is a talented healer who believes in the sanctity of life. She is fiercely opposed to death, feeling that even the most despicable criminals can be saved. She wishes to one day travel the world to help the sick and the wounded. *'Gau'. A wild boy found in a remote cave, he yearns for fresh meat to sate his appetite. Gau is able to mimic the abilities of many monsters in the world. *'Jossley Bunansa'. Commander of Duke Fargo's forces in Northern Lenadia. Unlike her peers, Jossley does not actively seek to harm those who resist Duke Fargo's will and prefers to broker deals and have opposing forces surrender instead. Despite her mild personality, she is an accomplished sword fighter. *'Kappa'. A mysterious tonberry with an excitable personality and an unending thirst for knowledge of reincarnation. When his face isn't buried in a book, he can be found flinging status altering spells at his enemies. *'Loxley Gilgazzo'. A low ranking Beronian soldier. She has a loud, spunky personality and once trained to be a white mage before turning to the military. *'Lysha Peperro'. The granddaughter of Ami Peperro, and named after her grandmother's mentor. Lysha is a capable blue mage herself, and is the leader of Lenadia's Mistwalkers adventuring guild. *'Twill Crescent'. A low ranking Beronian soldier. He has a reserved personality and isn't one for casual banter. He immigrated from Ivalice and is a proficient spear user. Guest Characters The following characters join the party for a period of time, but leave after certain points in the story and are not permanent party members. *'Cid Beryl'. Acting commander of the Lindblum Augurers. He is a peculiar man with many oddities, and he is always in the company of his moogle assistant Montblanc and his tuxedo cat Cait Sith. *'Godot'. An Eidolon, or "Demi-Esper" as they are often dubbed. Godot remains separate from the rising hostilities with Esperkind and serves as an advisor to Regent Handel of Lindblum. Story Prologue One hundred years after the events of Blackmoon Prophecy, the world of Gaia has recovered from the conflict with Emperor Belmont, Malacore, and Zeul which saw a group of adventurers, today known as the Light Warriors, save the world from certain doom. Inhabitants of the former Esper World, now known as Lupin, have become accepted by the Humans of Gaia, with the two races working side by side. Much of the world has changed greatly since the Light Warriors defeated the evil entities which threatened the world, though residual effects of the conflict continue to harm the world. The merging of Gaia and the Esper World, officially known as the Great Cataclysm, continues to have an effect on the inhabitants of the planet as various lands give way and sink into the ocean. The former kingdom of Branch has suffered the greatest, as most of the kingdom has vanished into the ocean, which prompted ambitious rebels to rise up and take what was left of Branch, creating a new kingdom out of the ashes of the fallen one and naming it the Berona Republic after its founder, Carwen Berona. The Crystals of Element, having since reformed since their destruction at the hands of Malacore, are believed to be all that keeps further side effects of the Great Cataclysm from occurring. The rebuilt Lindblum Kingdom stands proudly as the world's fastest growing economical and military force. With the fierce backing of Esperkind behind the kingdom, it appeared that nothing would disrupt the immense prosperity that Lindblum was experiencing until Esperkind suddenly turned against Lindblum. The game follows the adventures of a young Augurer (specially trained anti-Esper monster summoner) named Zephyr and his friends as they seek to put an end to the rising hostilities between Lindblum and the Espers, led by Ramuh, before the conflict engulfs the entire globe. Plot Music On December 19th, 2013, Daniel Babineau revealed that Brandon Griggs is composing music for Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II. Accompanying the news, three work-in-progress samples were posted as well.http://rpgmaker.net/games/5722/media/1550/ Creation and Development 2013 Blackmoon Prophecy II aimed to hit closer to than the previous mish-mash of and graphics. Mode 7 scripts are used for the overworld, all character sprites are customs/edits that adhere to the graphical style of Final Fantasy VI, and music will be composed of more obscure tracks from commercial Final Fantasy games alongside original tracks composed exclusively for Blackmoon Prophecy II. Some iconic tracks, such as the theme of Mystic Mysidia, will return. Blackmoon Prophecy II will also feature a base of operations called Bacchus Garrison that can be refurbished and filled with many recruitable non-playable character who can be upgraded to provide better services. On December 19th, Daniel Babineau showed first official artwork of a playable character, Jasmine, which was drawn by Rosa Tung.http://rpgmaker.net/games/5722/images/43092/ Currently, it appears that the game will lack official artwork due to low activity from the artist. Earlier in development, it was planned that the game would be of "open world" concept, but Babineau discarded that idea for a more of "story driven" concept as to balance the enemies which otherwise would seem too easy or too hard for the player. 2014 On May 26th, Babineau posted an entry on the game's official Tumblr profile stating that he's planning to add "battle costumes" which change characters' sprite for battles, exploration, and chocobo riding, also saying that the "default" sprites will still be used in cutscenes and conversations.http://ffblackmoon.tumblr.com/post/86908625521/battle-costumes On June 12th, Babineau revealed three story ideas which he considered when he was fleshing out the story of Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II. The first concept was "War of the Guardians" which would cover the story behind the Guardians of Balance (the group responsible for the creation of Crystals of Element, construction of Tower of Babil, and the events at the moon), but was deemed to be to alienating for the players, although the develop still wishes to explore the story. The second idea was "The Crystal War" which would cover the events of the Crystal War where characters like Lord Adder, Wedge, Vahn Vainstrong, and Hans Verrater would be playable, with possibility of adding Darius Nobleton to the roster, but the idea was discarded because the developer was not keen on making a sequel, but due to large demand from the fans a new idea arose. The third and final concept was "The New Generation" which plot would focus on Vahn and his family where his son Balthasar would be playable along with General Leonardo of Lenadia and Sabino, both minor characters from the first installment. Bosche Gore and Jasmine Amiro would also accompany Balthasar, and three new characters would join the party: a chocobo named Pastel, Edric Csardim, and Sapphire Ling. Because Daniel Babineau, wanted to tell the story from a "fresh point", Pastel made it into the final game as Winter, a chocobo serving as mode of transportation rather than playable character, as well as Edric and Sapphire were decided to make an appearance as well.http://ffblackmoon.tumblr.com/post/88562174286/original-blackmoon-prophecy-ii-story-ideas Gallery File:Blackmoon2Logo.jpg‎|Pre-December 10, 2015, logo. External links *Official Website *Official RPGMaker.net Profile *Official Tumblr Profile References Category:Final Fantasy Blackmoon Prophecy II Category:RPG Maker VX Ace games Category:Spin-offs Category:Video games